Occupy Seattle Squatters Evicted From Central District Home

The King County Sheriff's Office chainsawed their way through the front door of a Central District home this morning and proceeded to evict seven people believed to be associated with the Occupy Seattle movement and who had been squatting in the vacant house since November.

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At around 4:30 a.m., police closed off the areas surrounding the home near 23rd and East Jefferson. At that point, the county's TAC 30 team and Seattle police moved through the home. A loudspeaker was used to rouse the protesters. Police then used a chainsaw to cut through the door of the home, which was barred with a "castle lock" or 2-by-4 board, according to Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West.

West says police sent in a tactical squad because they "had received intelligence information that there were possibly some weapons and booby traps in the house," although she said deputies didn't find any in the home.

The homeowner had been remodeling the home when nearly 30 people moved in at one point last month. KOMO-TV reports that the SWAT team found a suspicious package and dispatched a bomb robot, but nothing turned up.

West says police removed seven protesters from the home, but no arrests were made.